Attract and retain talent through your EVP

Attracting and retaining people with the right digital skills is a challenge for the majority of organisations. Across the UK, Talent Acquisition and People teams are working hard to evolve their methods of recruiting and retaining talent, developing people-first processes and frameworks to ensure continuous learning and growth. Ways of working, access to learning content and regular upskilling are all key to engaging talented people and supporting them to be the best they can be. 

AND Digital will share insights with the help of industry experts during an upcoming webinar on How to become a Magnet for Talent, highlighting what you can do to attract and retain talent. 

One of the elements we will cover during the webinar, is the development of the Employee Value Proposition (EVP).

We typically think about "value propositions" in relation to product strategy, but given the pressure mounting against teams to attract new talent, a product mindset could be the perfect way to get more strategic.

Building your Employee Value Proposition

An EVP is what you offer your team members in return for their time, skills, and engagement. It’s a way of thinking about your organisation as a "product" from the people's perspective. 

Put simply, your EVP tells someone why they should join your company, or why they should stay at your company when competitors come knocking. Take time to collaborate on the proposition to ensure input at all levels, formalise what makes it unique, and communicate it across your organisation to ensure a consistent approach. This dedicated effort will put the entire company in a far better position to tackle its skill gap.

Focus Areas of an EVP

Broadly, you can break the components of an EVP down into the following categories:

• Vision and brand values
• Culture
• Recruitment and on-boarding
• Continuous development
  
  

The company vision and associated brand values will set the goalposts for the people you want to attract, as well as reinforce a sense of belonging and loyalty in your existing people. Keeping those values top of mind with your existing talent will also spark the right conversations with prospective colleagues. 

Company culture is often hard to define. It's abstract and it can't just be spoken and written about - it must be nurtured and lived daily by every member of your team. Genuine lived experiences of your company culture will be one of the most important things job seekers will look to validate, and - if positive - can be the most convincing element in your EVP. 

Recruitment and onboarding teams are the first points of contact for new talent and the first real experience of your culture in action. It's critical that getting to know the company culture and ways of working is embedded in your onboarding process, ensuring new starts feel comfortable and safe to speak up, ask questions and bring their whole selves to work. Not only does it help to ease the new job nerves, but it also ensures they're confident with the lay of the land before the real work begins. 

Having a dedicated team focused on the continuous development of your people not only ensures your company has the capabilities it needs to evolve, but it's also key in retaining the ambitious people you worked hard to attract. It enables and supports your people to learn, develop and take on new challenges, keeping them motivated and engaged - and loyal to your company.  

Tactical steps to build your EVP

During the upcoming webinar, we will also discuss a number of steps that will help your organisation in its journey to digital greatness by crafting an exceptional Employee Value Proposition that suits your organisation:

• Understanding the people you are trying to attract
• Creating a digital vision and purpose aligned to your people
• Embedding custom ways of working
• Developing a culture of education, training and feedback

Start 2023 with new insights

A strong EVP can help your organisation to attract and retain talent. Integrity and authenticity matter when you build your Employee Value Proposition. We have 3 subject matter experts who will provide their insights on Wednesday 25th January 2023.

Hear from Susan Quain, Sean Allen and Amanda Bellwood during the webinar How to become a Magnet for Talent. Sign up is available here.

A whitepaper on How to Build an Employee Value Proposition is also available to help you on your journey. Download here.